My Exam Prep Essentials & Mini Haul

AKA a list of things that aren't at all essential but make me feel a little bit better about spending my whole day at a desk with my hands covered in whiteboard marker stains!

Notebook- Kmart, $5. Highlighters- Daiso, $3. Twinings Infuse (3 Pack)- Coles, $2. Socks- Dotti, $8.

Hi guys!
I'm currently less than three weeks away from my last ever medical school exams, and I'm simultaneously terrified and super excited at the prospect of finally being done! I've been living in a state of perpetual stress for months now, so I'm genuinely very glad to be at this 'final push' stage so it can just be over with.

Considering my brain isn't really capable of thinking about much other than study at the moment, I thought I'd feature a few of my favourite items that help me to survive these stressful times for my blog post this week. So without further ado, let's get into it!

Snacks & Drinks
Where would a gal be without her snacks?!
I generally try even harder than usual to be quite healthy and strict around diet & exercise during the weeks leading up to exams; simply because it is the best way for me to maintain my mental health at such a challenging time. With that in mind, I tend to do a big grocery shop at the start of my study time, and stock up on heaps of fresh fruit and veges, hummus, yoghurt and other easy snacks. Your brain needs fuel, after all! I always know that there will be a point during my study at which I give up and consume a whole block of chocolate in an afternoon, but the goal is to put it off as long as possible and keep myself satisfied with other snacks in the meantime!

Invariably you're going to be consuming a fair amount of caffeine at this point in time(unless you're superwoman, for which I salute you!), which can lead to you getting super dehydrated, headache-y and not studying to your optimum potential. I keep a water bottle next to me all the time while studying and try to make sure I'm drinking plenty. However, sometimes plain old water can get a bit boring, and I've recently discovered these Twinings sachets that you can put in a water bottle to turn it into iced tea! They're really tasty, this rose lemonade one is definitely my fave but I've also tried watermelon and blackcurrant which are also really nice.

Bike shorts + secondhand jumper ft my washing basket is a LOOK guys 

Clothing
I know it's silly, but I genuinely study much more efficiently when I feel both comfortable and cute in what I'm wearing. I got this super cute cropped green jumper on Depop recently and I just looove it! It's perfectly snuggly for a day of study whilst still feeling cute! I would definitely recommend acquiring a similar jumper for your own study days.
My two other essentials for staying comfy are socks and hair scrunchies. My feet are always freezing after sitting at my desk for anything more than half an hour, so socks are a must-have! I also cannot study with my hair anywhere near my face, so I try to offset some of the damage of it being tied up 24/7 by using hair scrunchies rather than harsher hair ties.

Playlists
Music is essential to getting me through the long hours at my desk, but I've found that certain types are better than others for getting you in the study mood. I used to listen to very upbeat pop playlists in the hopes that they would give me the energy to keep going, but I often found that they actually made me quite restless. I've found it better to listen to a more mellow playlist that will help you to stay settled and focussed while getting some work done. The best things I've found for this are Youtube mixes in the lofi hip hop/ jazz/ chill genre. I usually don't like jazz or hip hop that much but I really like it in this format! The best channels I've found for these are called Dreamy, Feardog, and The Jazz Hop Cafe, although there's many more out there that are suggested once you've listened to one!

Another good source of comforting music for study is movie soundtracks- I've currently been loving the Hobbit soundtrack as it both inspires and calms me.

Corduroy Scrunchies (3 Pack)- Kmart, $5. Notebooks - Kmart, $5. Bath bombs- Lush.

Treat Yo Self
In my world, study season is bath season! I like to make sure I have a good stash of Lush bath bombs so that I can have a good method of relaxation when my brain has taken all it can handle for the day. It's important to have nice things to look forward to at this time of year!
I'm also an advocate of having some nice stationery that you enjoy using when it comes to study. I've had my pastel highlighters for quite a while; they were about $3 from Daiso and I literally haven't used a normal highlighter since buying them as I love these so much!

That brings us to the end of my study 'essentials'. Good luck to anyone else who also has exams coming up. See you on the other side! (oh, and Happy Halloween! I hope you all have WAY more fun tonight than I will be!)
Kate x